Assurance of Support Scheme - additional funding

What's New?

An additional $6.0 million in 2006-07 will be provided for the Assurance of Support (AoS) Scheme. The funding will be provided to Centrelink to continue to administer the Scheme.

Background

An AoS is a form of legal guarantee given by the assurer (or assurers in the case of a joint assurance of support) that they will repay the Australian Government for income support payments made to a migrant who enters Australia under certain categories of visa for up to two years, or ten years for contributory parent visas. The Scheme allows migrants who are at higher risk of needing to claim social security to come to Australia, while protecting the Government from financial risk.

The additional supplementation of $6.0 million to FaCSIA in 2006-07 is to meet the higher costs of Centrelink undertaking more assessments. This is due to a general increase in the numbers of migrants entering Australia under these categories of visa, as well as higher numbers of people entering into a joint assurance of support for a new migrant.